Sweet Revenge
by tmntfan4eva
Summary: The group is forced back to Camp Wawanakwa for the remainder of the summer. Most are content to roam with their love interests, like Duncan and Gwen. But not Courtney. World Tour left her in pieces. But nothing's permanent. There's always a cure.
1. Pieces of her Heart

**This is something I started after wanting to do a severely depressed Courtney. I know she was kind of like this in the show, but this is still different. Just read and find out. Note: This is one of a few ideas I'm starting. It'll be tough juggling them all but if I do it right it'll be fun. Two of them are shortish, another long. You'll just have to wait and see the coupling.**

It was midnight, at least that's what she figured. It couldn't have been earlier, this much she was sure of because she'd been sitting out here far to long for that. Ever since their return to Camp Wawanakwa the shade of the tree had been her source of comfort, a security blanket if you will. The darkness gave her a sense of belonging, like her life wasn't the only thing that was suddenly black and empty. It matched the feeling in the pit of her stomach and the depths of her shattered heart. It…helped. It was all she had since no one else was willing to give her anything to wrap her hands around in order to escape the trap of ill fated love. No one. Not Gwen, not Duncan, not Sierra, Heather, or even Bridgette. All of the selfish bastards were either fully on Gwen's side, like Duncan, Cody, and Trent, or just didn't care, like Heather, Sierra, and basically everyone else. It was unfair to her and her onyx eyes. Why did they do this to her? Why couldn't at least one person be on her side? Didn't they see that the true victim was sitting right here, her whole life in shambles? Gwen needed no sympathy nor Duncan. So why? Why was Courtney all alone in this hellish situation?

She sucked in a sharp breathe now, meant to keep the sobs at bay which had been plaguing her ever since the day she'd found out. The day the world came to a sudden and unexpected halt, throwing her for the biggest loop she'd ever experienced. The real kicker to this was that there had been a time before him where she'd mocked any and everyone who showed the slightest signs of tearing up over a messy breakup. She'd laugh and jeer with her tiny group of straight A friends, insisting that if she were ever to fall in love during high school or even after that she'd never let the end break her as it did all the other foolish girls. She'd stay strong as a brick wall. It was a promise they all made. And yet here she was now, broken into a million and one bite size pieces because of something as insignificant as a boy. Now she understood those girls. She got the pain they must have suffered through for weeks and some even months after. And most of all she wished she'd never bashed them for their reactions. It was wrong. So very wrong indeed.

As her trail of thoughts wandered closer and closer to her life before and consequently the life she'd imagined having with Duncan after this she fell further into herself, pulling her knees up close to her chest so she could bury her face in them. Her sobs then resurfaced to their fullest extent. They racked her fragile body with an awful force, tears welling in her eyes shortly after. It didn't help when a string of memories suddenly hit her harder then ever before.

_She'd just ran out of the cabin, leaning far over the railing of the stairs leading to the grounds to wretch. It went on for a few seconds, more coming out then she expected to, but it soon stopped, leaving a putrid taste and smell in her nose and mouth. The only thing that made it better was the adrenaline rush left from earlier and the presence of her favorite person._

"_So the princess has a dark side." he chuckled, coming to a halt at her side._

"_Ok. That was so gross." she turned in his direction. "But it was like…once I did something bad it was so much fun I just wanted more!" she exclaimed, positioning her hands so that she looked as if she were either grasping something or about to claw at someone. Of coarse it was neither for she held nothing and was far to elated for the latter, her eyes shining brightly, mouth curved into a devious smirk similar to those Duncan had given her many times up to this point._

"_Well you could always give me that kiss." he paused as he held her chin between his thumb and finger, tempting her to do as he wanted. "That'd be pretty bad." He knew she wanted to, it was merely a matter of will power. And at the moment she was seriously unstable, willing to do anything that gave her that rush she now desperately craved._

_She snorted, pulling back from his touch despite the fuzzy feeling it gave her. "You're still not my type." she insisted in a rather flirty manner, rubbing his mohawk playfully._

"_Fine." he said with confidence, turning away from her ever so slightly as if to tell her that if she didn't act soon she'd lose out on him. "Enjoy a peanut butter less life." he was even looking away from her as if this would make the deal more solid._

"_Thanks." she too turned away from him slightly, looking his opposite direction as she spoke. "Enjoy prison." she added, looking back at him with her sweet onyx eyes._

_He was slightly alarmed by her calm and somewhat serious demeanor, but he quickly got over it upon realizing this was her way of playing back. "I will." he said seductively, leaning back against her in the process._

_The next moment was what made them one. She turned about, cupping his face in her hands and drew him close, close enough to kiss. Her lips pressed gently up against his, that fuzzy feeling of hers intensifying ten fold. She was brimming with a passion that she'd previously thought to be nothing more then a fantasy girls at school created to feel good about themselves. Yet it was now clear to her it was so very real. She was so into the moment. She never wanted it to end._

_Duncan was shocked at her sudden action, eyes wide, but quickly lost the feeling to an even greater one. The feeling of love. He closed his eyes and allowed this feeling to flow through him much as it was with Courtney. It was more then he'd ever felt before and he truly believed that he was in love, real love. Not a fling or lust or something small and temporary. This was the real deal. And he never wanted this feeling to end._

_The only reason Courtney broke the kiss was because as she opened her eyes she saw that Geoff and Dj were walking over. Despite the fact she'd finally given in to her powerful feelings she was still unsure of how everyone else would react. And as such she slowly walked off in the opposite direction, a smug smirk present as she stared back at punk boy who was just as in love as she was._

_Duncan looked dreamily after the beautiful brunette, infatuated smile spreading clear across his face. He didn't want her to slip away like this, and yet he knew he had to. For now. But tomorrow she'd be his again, by his side for as long as possible._

The next memory that followed wasn't as close to her heart, yet it mattered to her to a great level. It was the first time she'd seen Duncan since she'd been eliminated by Harold. And she'd been elated.

_The boat of losers strode up to the dock of where all those deemed losers resided. She wanted to say she hoped it would be him, but at this point, after so many let downs, she'd practically given up on that notion. He'd made it so far that she figured she'd only see him on that final day as he fought it out for that hundred thousand dollar case. And even then it wouldn't be very satisfying. He'd get all caught up in the thrill of victory, forgetting about her and what they'd shared so long ago on the island. At least she knew that was how it'd go if she were him. So when the person stepped out of the boat her heart nearly stopped. He wore a black t-short with a picture of a faded skull on the front, baggy jeans a lighter shade of the black, his hair was jet black and mohawk lime green, and last but not least his teal colored eyes looked out over the area. "Duncan…" she breathed, that fluttery feeling from back before they'd kissed resurfacing. She was falling in love all over again._

_He didn't see her at first, busy taking in this scene which he had never known existed before this moment. And it obviously was giving him juxtaposing feelings. He loved how this was so wonderful awesome, like what he'd signed up for, but he was pissed because if he'd known about this from the start he would never have tried so hard. And it was the latter emotion that showed on his face. His eyes were narrowed, brow pressed far down to strengthen the effect, mouth curved into a deep frown, and fists clenched. Only as he laid eyes on his girlfriend did it all vanish. The irritation, hate, anger, everything of the like was suddenly lifted away to be replaced by a buzzy feeling. He associated it with the way he felt after having to much coffee, only ten million times better. "Princess!" he exclaimed, rushing over to where she stood at the end of the dock to scoop her up into his warm embrace. "I've missed you." he said softer so as not to draw to much attention to his softer side._

"_Oh, Duncan. Me too." she cooed even softer then he did, tears of happiness filling her eyes. "It was awful being here on my own." she added, sighing with content._

"_At least you had all this." he murmured, releasing her and moving back a step to look down into her hypnotizing eyes. "I had nothing but freaks, psychos, and bad food." he smirked lightly, hoping for a laugh or some sign of enjoyment._

_She chuckled, moving her hand to her mouth. "Well, if you'd won you wouldn't be saying that."_

_He thought about this a moment before answering. "No. It still wouldn't make up for the time I lost without you." he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, hoping for a kiss like she'd given before._

_She rolled her eyes. "Drama king. This isn't some sappy movie. I'm not going to suddenly kiss you because you give me some crappy lines." she blew at the hair which had fallen into her eyes._

"_Really? Why not?" he half whined, slumping noticeably._

_She smiled brightly. "I don't go for saps. I only like hardcore jackasses who can't follow a rule to save their lives." she smirked deviously, licking her lips._

_He stared blankly at her for a moment, confused by her sudden change in demeanor. But it didn't take long for him to realize that he liked this just fine. Not having to pretend to be someone he wasn't for a girl he'd probably end up losing anyway worked great. "Well here I am."_

_She made a purring noise a half second before leaping at him, latching her arms around his neck as she locked lips with the punk. She was even pressing her body up against his just because she felt like it. It made her feel bad, giving her the biggest rush since that night weeks before. It was love._

_Duncan fell into her kiss, kissing back with equal intensity, wrapping his arms tight around the girl's tiny waist. The only thing he wished to make this better was for her shirt to be like Heather's so that he might touch smooth skin instead of her rough clothes. But you can't have everything. And as such he accepted this as it was. It was a perfect moment with his perfect girl._

She moaned loudly, lip quivering uncontrollably much like the rest of her body. She just wanted the pain to end. Why wouldn't it go away? Or why not have it ebb at least a little, enough for her to think straight. But no. It hadn't happened yet and wouldn't happen for what she felt would be forever. Then another memory surfaced, the worst yet.

_It was during total drama action now. She'd returned not long ago thanks to her magnificent skills with lawyers and such. They, the girls, were in their trailer. Most were playing a game of cards, even Heather as odd as that sounds. Only not Courtney. She was sitting on the window sill, looking out at the full moon and the stars that surrounded it. She was deep in thought about Duncan and all he'd been up to while she was gone. Namely the things concerning Gwen. She made to scowl at the thought of her yet for some reason the expression that resulted was the exact opposite, it was that of pure sadness. Her lip quivered, the never before seen clip of the delinquent and Goth playing over and over again in her mind. Sure both of them had vehemently denied any feelings for the other, but she couldn't help but feel worried and unsure of them and her so called relationship with Duncan. She wondered if it could even be called that any more. Was there anything left them? "_

_Courtney…?" a voice came to her. She glanced back in the direction of the sound. It was Beth. "Don't you wanna play?" she said with innocent. Although Courtney knew that she was only feigning innocence. She really couldn't stand Courtney._

"_No!" the rest of the girl's reacted immediately, saying so with unwavering confidence. "She can go sulk by herself." Leshawna added, being the voice of the group. "Her and her bag of rules don't belong here." she scowled darkly over at the poor girl in the window._

_Courtney looked sadly over into Leshawna's dark brown eyes, hoping to find a smidgen of a lie in their depths. There was none. So begrudgingly she pushed off of the sill, saying to Beth, "I'm going for a walk anyway." she shrugged. "Have fun." and so she headed out the door at a quickened pace, breaking into a run once the door had closed behind her. She'd never admit it, but the way they treated her like an outsider hurt her deeply. She had never really belonged in normal life, so being proven to have no place in this game aside from villain struck a nerve. Only as she reached a tree far from the trailer did she cease her running and collapse beneath it, gasping for breath she feared she might never get back. It made it harder to do this as sobs forced their way out of her throat, nearly choking her._

_She was to consumed with her predicament to notice but she had found her way over a foot or so from the boy's trailer. So when the sound of a door slamming echoed in the cool night air she jerked her head up immediately, breathing elevated further. She was holding onto her chest too, a panic attack creeping up on her. "G-Go away!" she cried, bringing her knees up closer to her._

_A silence followed, but it was a brief one. "Courtney?" came the familiar sound of Duncan's smooth yet simultaneously concerned voice. "Is that you?" she saw him now, he was looking all about himself in order to locate her, but she didn't want to be found. She didn't want him to see her cry, no one ever had. But of coarse with his persistence he easily found her up against the tree residing next to the trailer. He sighed. "…Courtney…"_

_She frowned deeply up at him, eyes like daggers penetrating his very soul. If only they'd been real daggers. Then he might've gotten the message and left her be._

"_Princess, what's wrong?" he said softly, eyes etched with confusion and pain. "Are you…crying…?" he spit out in disbelief, kneeling down beside her._

_This made her feeling of bitter sadness even worse. He now knew she was weak, no where near as strong as she pretended to be. He wouldn't want her anymore. She knew it. "No."_

"_What happened?" he prodded, laying a hand on her shaking shoulder. "You can tell me."_

_She tentatively looked back at him, wiping the fresh tears from her face. "Nothing." she still wasn't ready to admit anything was getting to her._

_He frowned lightly. "Courtney." his voice was stern._

_She whimpered lightly, not liking the change in his tone. "They hate me." she moaned. "I-I'm…all alone." she thrust her head into her wet hands, crying harder._

_His eyes grew wide at her words. He hadn't thought how people felt about her bothered her in any way. He swallowed hard. "That all?" he murmured, reverting back to that gentle tone of his which could pry anything from anyone he pleased as long as he tried hard enough._

"_And…and Gwen…" she finally spoke what she'd held inside since the beginning of total drama action no matter that it was against her better judgment._

"_Gwen?" he blinked, confusion hidden by the clouds that recently moved over the moon, shrouding the world in darkness. "Why?"_

_She sniffled, pulling her head away from her hands. "You're in love with her." a pause. "You must be. You barely pay attention to me anymore. And-And I saw that clip. You two were-w-were flirting so much." she threw her head down away from him, shaking. _

_He offered a pained smile as condolence. "You're crazy sometimes, you know that right?" he chuckled lamely. "I'm not in love with her." she looked back up with traces of uncertainty, prompting Duncan to go on. "She's my best friend. That's all." his smiled brightened a bit, his hope for her to believe him and thus calm down getting the best of his expression._

_She sucked in a sob. "Promise…?"_

_He draped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close enough so that their bodies touched. "I promise princess. No one will ever take your place." he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, rubbing his cheek against hers shortly after that._

_She smiled a small smile then, content with this answer she'd gotten despite the fact her favor with the others wouldn't change at all after this. At least she could say she had Duncan still. He would never let her down. She was sure of this at least. She was so sure that she was brave enough to move a hand down to his free one, clasping it tightly as she whispered. "I love you…"_

_He smirked. "Love ya too babe." he responded with equal, if not more, affection. "You're my princess."_

That was it. She couldn't take another wretched memory such as this. They had to stop. Something had to change. So for lack of a better action she banged her head back against the tree she rested on a couple of times until she successful quieted her tears to focus on the pain that was now in her head. Still, it was a temporary fix. A minute after, once the pain subsided, the emotional hurt crept back on her. The tears streamed down her brown freckled face faster then before. It almost made her wish she hadn't been so foolish as to hurt herself in the first place. And it didn't help when she saw a pair walk by not far from her.

She perked ever so slightly, focusing in on them. They were laughing with one another, a joke more then likely being the cause, the girl had her head resting on the shoulder of the other and their hands were clasped together. This in itself was bad enough, so once she made out who they were with the help of the moon's light it only increased her despair. It was the two people she wanted desperately to forget and never see for the rest of her life. It was Duncan and Gwen. She hadn't recognized them immediately because they had changed. Duncan no longer wore his skull t-shirt, but a thin muscle shirt, his once black jeans were now black shorts, but his piercings remained. Although his mohawk was no longer green it was…teal? Courtney shook with fury at this revelation. He changed for her! Why not this poor girl looking on? She didn't want to discover anything else like this yet couldn't keep herself from looking further. Upon another glance she noticed that the tattoo they had gotten together had been altered slightly. No longer was it a simple heart, but inside it now said 'GxD'. She caught her breath then, that god awful feeling of ultimate betrayal hitting her as it had back in total drama world tour. But she kept it together this time. She wanted to see Gwen. Gwen still had that gaudy skirt of hers on, color and all, her sandals the same also, she had a matching tattoo too, but it was her shirt that caught Courtney by surprise. It was Duncan's. That familiar black cotton with the simple skull which she remembered touching so often, sometimes with care other times roughly to pull him close was touching another girls skin.

Courtney felt herself slipping back down a giant spiral. She covered her mouth, holding her sobs in in as a next to last resort. How could he…? She'd been his everything, had she not? He'd told her over and over that she had no reason to worry her pretty little head. So why now had everything changed so much? Now he barely acknowledged her existence, going so far as to give his shirt to another. She whined rather loudly, accidentally catching the pairs attention.

They looked over at her, a brow raised on each of their faces, eyes scrunched in semi confusion. "Isn't that Courtney?" Gwen muttered softly, monitoring Duncan's response carefully. He'd cheated once. He could very well do it again.

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, but whatever man." he lifted an arm in the air in a shrug of the sorts. "I don't care what she does as long as she doesn't mess with my pasty." he snickered.

Gwen stared over at Courtney a moment more, regretful of how this whole mess worked out and sorry for breaking her heart. Of course Duncan wouldn't get it. He was a guy. Guys didn't have the same fragile heart as girls did. Heartbreak was basically a foreign concept. But Gwen didn't tell him that. It was an unimportant fact of life that would only work to screw with what they had with each other. Still, she wished she had apologized when she had the chance to salvage there barely there friendship. It was only after her mini guilty trip that she laughed softly, replying sweetly, "Yeah, that's right Dunkie." she smiled brightly up at him.

He laughed right back, pulling her in for a gentle kiss on the lips.

Courtney couldn't bear watching this crap without breaking into tears for the umpteenth time. "D-Duncan…" she sobbed so that only she could hear. "W-Why do you hate me…?"

They had vanished from her peripheral vision a minute so after giggling at their sick nicknames, bringing Courtney little solace. She was cracked. Nothing helped. Or so she thought. Just beyond her view stood a boy. He had watched her nearly all day, taking in every little detail of her appearance as well as her reactions toward everything. As such he'd witnessed her mental breakdown once Duncan and Gwen passed, getting the final piece to the complex puzzle that was Courtney. "Hello Courtney." he said smoothly, moving closer to lean up against the tree she resided under.

Courtney was alarmed by the presence of another, tentatively looking up to meet the emerald green eyes of Alejandro. "W-What do you want?" she stuttered, onyx eyes full of distrust.

Alejandro smirked down at her. She was so incredibly vulnerable and different from total drama world tour. Her eyes that always held a spark were dull, her dark skin drained of most life, and clothes strangely different from her usual attire, a shirt of black with white collar rime and white sleeves, pants now pure white shorts. She reminded him of a creepy clown. However her hair was what he noticed most. The once slick brown hair was dirty, greasy, and sticking up at all angles, no longer well kept like it had always been before. "Nothing amor." he said in that sweet tone he used on all girls he was bent o screwing with as he bent down to the ground next to her, eyes level.

She glared pitifully back, barely able to keep herself from using his shoulder to cry on. "Then g-go away." she said instead.

"Come now. Don't push me away. I only wish to help."

"I don't want it." a pause, more so an existential break off so as to keep her control. "Help someone…else." she managed without her tone wavering.

"Amor…" he whispered. "I know how you feel." she looked skeptical. "Heather betrayed me much like Duncan did to you."

She thrust her head down, away from his devious gaze. She was choking back sobs, body shaking in response.

The smallest of frowns found its way onto Alejandro's perfect lips, eyes showing a microsecond of true sadness. "Don't cry." he cooed. "It doesn't have to hurt." he moved his arm around her so that his hand laid on her shoulder.

She froze, feeling as if she were back in that moment in total drama action when Duncan had been the one comforting her delicate heart. "N-No…" she muttered absent mindedly, not meaning for it to have any meaning for this conversation with Alejandro. _Are you crying?" _she could hear Duncan's voice echo in her mind. _She's only my best friend. _She whimpered. "You don't understand!" she snapped. "It's not the same!" venom dripped from her words and she jerked out of his loose hold. "He cheated on me! **Cheated!" **a tear slipped down her stained face. "Nothing can compare…!" then she did the strangest thing. After glaring with the utmost disdain for what felt like forever for both of the she practically threw herself at him. Her arms latched around his neck, head buried deep in his crimson shirt. "I-It was awful. S-So…" she trailed off.

"Yeah. Nothing can compare." he sighed lightly, moving a hand to the back of her head to rub it gently, all the while thinking back to that day on the volcano. He felt like she'd cheated on him there, in a sense. "And I'm truly sorry for that. You didn't deserve such a wrong, no matter what."

"I-I wish Duncan was-was…considerate. He's such a-a asshole." she let it all out. "I w-wish he was like you. You…you're so…different." she nuzzled him lightly.

He was a bit shocked by her sudden display of such deep emotion, but didn't complain. She was a sight to behold after all. So why not cherish such a moment as this, especially when it was with one who usually would sooner kill you. "Thanks." a pause. "You're different too."

She was being pulled into his words. She slowly looked back up to meet his now soft gaze, convulsions ceasing, sobs growing less frequent, the only thing that remained was the trail of tears on her face. There was even a slight smile on her lips. "I know." was all she came up with. No hate, no screams, just…she knew. "I'm sorry too…for you."

"What would you say…if I said…" He leaned closer. "…I know a way for the pain to go away." he hissed in her ear, lightly nuzzling her forehead.

In the end this was what got her. For this was what she so desperately had been searching for since Greece. "Really?" she gasped, swallowing a lump in her throat. She was putting all her faith in this.

"Yes." he nodded. "It's never failed me before." he insisted, a sinister look flashing in his eyes.

Her eyes grew wide, small smile transforming into a full fledged grin. She was becoming a child again. "What is it?" she was eager.

"Revenge." the word slipped off his tongue like it was all he ever said. It came so natural, not a trace of doubt or regret at what the outcome could be for those on the receiving end.

"Alejandroooooo!" Heather's high pitched scream cam from back at the cabins.

He cackled at Heather's cry. "See?" he pressed a minute after. "I never fell as good as afterwards. It's a rush."

"Revenge…" she said it, trying out the feel of the word. She let a hand slip from Alejandro's neck in order to tap her chin thoughtfully. "How?"

"Anything. All it has to do is piss them off or maybe even…hurt?" he offered, smirking with immense pleasure down at the girl before him.

She smirked right back, eyes narrowing into near slits, a fire dancing in them that had long been absent. She was slowly regaining herself. All that was left now was the creation and execution of it. And she knew it'd be perfect. After all, she was perfect. "Yes." she hissed. "Yes…it will hurt a lot."

"As much as they hurt you?" he pressed, getting a sick thrill out of watching her criminal mind at work. He was into this that he unconsciously brought a hand to her face, pulling her slightly closer.

"No." she hesitated. "More."

**Oh no! What could Courtney be planning? And sorry if the point of view is wish-washy, it's difficult for me to do pov's not first person. So be nice about that. lol But feel free to tell me that my characterization is ooc. I really want to work on that! If it isn't then...yay! Plz review! :D**


	2. The First Strike

**I like this chapter pretty well, but I feel like something's missing. *shrug* I suppose it only matters if you think it fits together well though. :) ****Oh! And I forgot to mention that the last chapter and even this whole story was inspired by the pic 'Missing You' by XxDarkAlessaxX on deviantart and the colored version by huck-finn-forever.**

He told her that, despite her immense desire to watch Duncan and Gwen burn, she should wait until tomorrow. If she wanted she could stay up and plot, thinking out every little detail of how she'd take them down. He even offered to stay up with her to help. He wouldn't control or quail her imagination, he'd just make suggestions. "Well…" she muttered softly, looking away with a soft smile. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." she chuckled lightly, flipping a piece of her hair back behind her ear.

He smirked with satisfaction. "It'll be fun." he took a hold of her small hand, actually getting a bit of a happy feeling from the touch, and pulled her to her feet as he rose. "It's always fun. Hurting people who deserve it."

She nodded. "I know. It's justice." she stared down at her hand then, him still holding onto it. "But…um…can you let go…?" she asked tentatively, trusting him only with evil and not with her emotions. Especially not love. She'd never love again. Just as she promised not to cry over Duncan, only she was sure she'd keep this one.

"Oh! Yeah, of course." he chuckled nervously, taking his hand back to his side. "Come on now. We've got a lot to do."

"Ok." she agreed, wiping at the tears on her face as the pair walked towards the cabin, sinister thoughts brewing in both their minds. Only some of Courtney's thoughts weren't as evil as she would have liked. Every other thought or so an image of Duncan would come to her, whether it be him wiggling his eyebrows or kissing her gently, it made her cringe. And it was obvious to all.

Alejandro looked at her with a confusion, a slight frown on his lips. "What's wrong?" he pried, almost fooling himself into believing he actually cared.

She dropped her gaze to the ground, pulling at her arm uncomfortably. "Nothing. I'm just sad that I can't think of anything good enough." she sighed heavily, not being truthful at all.

Alejandro felt bad for her, knowing full well that her words were nothing but crap. She should know that he, more so then anyone, was extremely inept at deception and the signs that came with it. And she was showing many. She wasn't making eye contact, was fidgeting, and her tone was higher then it was normally. Nevertheless he played along. "Don't fret amor. With our minds combined there's no way we won't come up with something." he chuckled whole-heartedly, surprising even himself.

She half smiled, not really feeling any better then before. For in all honesty she'd hoped, prayed even, that he'd see through her and call her out on her falseness. She wanted to be told he, Duncan, no longer mattered, that soon his face would fade from her memory, and more then anything that this revenge would end it all so she could finally move on. Sure he'd said the latter once, but it couldn't hurt saying it twice. "You're right." she said in her same hopeless tone.

Alejandro lowered his gaze the same as her, only looking back to her as they reached the cabin. He reached for the door handle, opening it graciously for her and bowing slightly for some odd reason. It was like he wanted to see her smile or something. He quickly shook this strange feeling, saying, "After you." he smiled warmly.

Courtney smiled at him for being unusually sweet to her. Since the end of world tour she'd figured he only cared about the way Heather thought of him. Maybe she was wrong. "Thanks." she nodded a bit, rubbing his head gently from some sort of automatic reaction. It was Duncan's fault. She drew in a sharp breath then, jerking back suddenly and clutching her hands together at her chest. "I-I…sorry." she blushed a deep crimson, but no one could have told if they'd been watching. Her skin was so dark that no blush, unless stared at really close, could be seen.

Alejandro's eyes grew wider, but there was no blush. He was merely shocked that she was acting so loosely with him after having been on the brink of depression so shortly before. "It's nothing." he shrugged, "Come on."

She smiled sheepishly, entering the cabin as he had instructed her. She then swiftly took a seat on the bottom of one of the bunks. They felt so familiar, so soft, and so full of memories. Now that she thought about it… she stepped down, falling to her knees.

"Courtney?" Alejandro said with undue alarm, making it a tad bit obvious that he was worrying a little more then one would when strategizing with someone who meant nothing to them.

"Hold on." she half ordered, sticking her hand up under the bed to reach for something. She was about to give up when her hand clasped around a solid object. A smile spread clear across her face and she drew the object out of it's hiding place. "I knew it." she sighed with half content, half regret. It was one of her most precious mementos which she had accidentally left here when they'd been partying after Owen won total drama island. She'd decided to sneak back into the old cabins and hide it here. She wasn't really sure why she'd done it, but she guessed it was so one day when she was looking back she'd find it and relish in the memories it gave her. And it was doing just that. Touching this old thing brought back the wonderful feelings of the good old days, of total drama island. After that first season, in her mind, it was all downhill. She brought the skull up to her chest then, holding it close to her heart, where all those memories were forever stored.

"What's that?" Alejandro said incredulously, face scrunching up as he walked close enough to look over her shoulder at whatever was in her hands.

The tears were coming back now. "N-Nothing." she squeezed out, breathing in deeply. "Just a reminder of what was and what could have been." she sounded philosophical, but really that wasn't anywhere near the truth. She was just speaking the truth. That's what her and Duncan's love was, an unlikely gamble with a slight possibility of becoming the real deal.

Alejandro frowned once more, kneeling down next to her. "Can I see?" he prodded gently, reaching his hand out toward her in hopes of her willingly doing as he wanted.

Courtney side glanced, looking back to him with uncertainty and down to her precious item in her hands. "I…I guess." she whispered, bringing her hands away from her chest ever so slowly before opening her hands to reveal the perfectly carved skull small enough to fit in exactly one palm. "It was…Duncan's." she forced herself to say, pulling her lips shut tight.

"Oh." Alejandro said automatically. "It means a lot to you then." he stated without thinking, grabbing the tiny thing away from her to twirl it in between his fingers. He examined it closely, making sure to take in every little detail, the cracks, the holes worn into it by time, and the paint carefully put on it. "It's…nice." he decided to say, looking tensely over at Courtney, fearing she might snap.

"No it isn't." she growled, snatching it back to stuff it in her pocket. "It's just a reminder of the lies he fed me for so long. Nothing more." it was a lie of course, but there was no one there willing to call her out on it. The two were alone, buried under past trifles of love.

Alejandro grimaced, not liking the way this conversation was headed. He didn't want to have to spill his guts to her about Heather so that she felt as if they were the same, birds of a feather if you will. So he reached for her arm instead. "Up." he pulled her as he had back out under that tree. "We've got work to do." he smiled darkly.

She allowed him to move her up into a standing position as she had before, smirking evilly in response to his smile. "Yes. We do." she took her hand back without asking this time, sitting herself on the edge of the bunk bed. "Now sit." she added, patting the spot beside her rather excitedly.

"As you wish." Alejandro chuckled lightly. Once he took his spot a silence fell on the pair. It created a near eerie atmosphere that made Alejandro tug on his sleeve out of instinct. "But…you must go first." he prompted, nodding slightly.

She grinned a little, shrugging. "I don't know." her smile instantly fell into a frown as the next words formed on her lips. "I just know I feel like killing them." her breathing became elevated slightly then, but she didn't care to know why.

Alejandro was alarmed by her quickness to jump right to killing. He'd hated quite a few people to an ungodly extent, but he'd never wanted to kill anyone. But maybe he was looking to far into her venomous words. Perhaps, like with a lot of others, she didn't mean it and was merely using the thought to bring herself comfort. Still he felt the need to condemn this option. "Easy there." he laughed. "We should start out smaller then that."

She glared up at him. "Why? It's what they get!" she hissed, pausing. "They deserve to be knocked out of their minds and shoved in a hole or **something**!" the more she talked the louder her voice became.

He nodded in agreement. "I know that. Believe me." he thought back to his latest prank on Heather for her previous actions. He'd put a bunch of bugs in her make-up kit. A harmless little trick he'd picked up from his brother after he'd done the same to him only with his toy box. He'd been about eight. He'd run home from school to play with some action figures he kept in a place he thought his brother didn't know about. Only when he opened the box up he couldn't help but scream in horror. The small squirmy things were all over his toys. There was one that especially spooked him. It was a cricket. It jumped from out of it's prison the instant he'd released it, landing on Alejandro's nose. He'd cried for a good thirty minutes afterward, Jose mocking him all the while. He'd been, and was still, an awful brother. Alejandro tensed at the memory, trying to keep himself from showing how much it hurt to think about. "But you must start small. Little things that could be an accident." he chuckled. "Then you get progressively worse…until you hit a peak. What that peak is I can't say. It's different for everyone." his distress had faded some as he went on about this recreational activity he took much pride in. "As for me…? Well, I haven't gotten there yet. But I have a pretty good idea of how it'll end." In all honesty he had no desire to push Heather that far, he only wished to press her buttons until she was fed up enough to fall back into his arms. So really, he had no inkling of how badly this would end for her.

"Oh?" Courtney raised a brow, smile widening. "How do you see it?" she asked the forbidden question. The one that would most definitely put a rift in this thing they had going, whatever it was one wanted to call it. Not small enough to be an acquaintance but not big enough to be considered a relationship. There was no word for it. So they would just pretend nothing was there at all.

He chuckled with a hint of nervousness, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "With her in a hole." he decided upon, grinning back at her.

She frowned lightly, picking her feet up onto the bed and sitting cross legged, facing his profile. "That's all?" she grumbled.

"For now." he too thought to pick his feet up, only he didn't sit as she did. He sat with his legs stretched out diagonally so as not to touch her as he leaned back against the headrest for less comfort, but more stability, hands cupping the back of his head. "But you never know what might happen."

Courtney sighed. "Yeah. Sure as hell right." She laughed bitterly. "I never thought Duncan could turn on me like he did…cheating…" she choked out the last word, swallowing the pain back down her throat. "…but he did. And with my **friend**." she bit her lip, struggling to hold the tears at bay.

Alejandro noticed this and cringed for some odd reason he wasn't sure of. All he knew was that he had to do something. "Life." he muttered. "It can be a bitch." he smiled warmly.

Surprising the both of them she felt something rise in her throat, coming out as a soft giggle. "Uh-huh." she agreed, nodding.

"What can you do?" he shrugged.

Her sinister smile returned to her lips like a long lost dog might its owner. "Revenge." she said through clenched teeth. "That's what I was told." she leaned in closer, hands gripping her knees, drawn by his ability to manipulate.

His eyes gleamed with a mixture of malevolence and pride. She learned fast, or at least clung onto anything she could to ease the pain and vulnerability. "Then how shall we try this cure out?" he wanted her to learn to do this for herself. He believed she had the ability to, she merely needed to get a good start. After all, she was more ruthless then Heather. Anyone that bad had to be excellent at something evil like revenge.

She was silent, expecting him to feed her the answer. So helpless.

"Hmm?" he eased, making a face.

She tapped her finger against her lips methodically, a smugness coming to her face when an idea suddenly came to her. "I've got it…" she snickered snidely.

"Excellent." Alejandro breathed. "Enlighten me then." he too laughed in the same manner as she did. Just one of the few things the pair shared. One more then with Duncan.

She crawled over from the bottom of the bed so that she was sitting side by side with the boy, leaning into his side. "Ok." she held her hands up before them, animatedly displaying how it should and would play out as she spoke in thorough detail.

Alejandro moved an arm from behind his head to rest around her tiny waist, feeling it would make her feel closer to him. And, although he'd deny it up and down, he secretly liked having someone so invested in him and his dirty tricks.

She stopped explaining to glance up into his emerald eyes. They were so fascinating, more so then Duncan's had ever been. "You're sweet." she said absentmindedly before returning to her plan.

He snorted, nearly forgetting where his hand was and even her comment as he was dragged deep into her strategy. It wasn't grand or ruthlessly evil, but whatever. It was her first try. She'd get better.

**next day...**

They stayed like that all night, going back and forth with little things that could be added to her idea to make it more enjoyable and perhaps more complicated. She turned most of it down but there were certain aspects that she couldn't let herself let go of. But not because she one hundred percent loved it, more so because she didn't want to risk him growing tired of being turned down so many times and in turn leave her. For she feared the notion of being alone again to an unimaginable extent. And that is why, in the end, he never went anywhere. She didn't have to beg for him to remain here, she didn't even ask. He just saw her feelings on her gorgeous face and willing complied to her desires. And that's why, in the morning, the two woke together. Courtney cuddled up next to the dark skinned boy, head dug into his chest, arms around his waist, and Alejandro with his large hands encompassing her small body.

Alejandro stirred first. His eyes slowly fluttered open as a loud yawn escaped him. "Mmm…" he grumbled, rubbing his head lightly. "That was the **worst** night of sleep in my life. What's wrong with these stupid beds?" After whining for a minute he finally bothered looking about him, taking in his surroundings, the most important being Courtney. "Wha…?" he breathed, not remembering that he had voluntarily stayed with her the night before. He made to move, but stopped half way through the action. It just hit him that she was clinging onto him like a leech.

She mumbled something in her sleep, holding on tighter to her brace. She was about to wake up, but Alejandro didn't know that.

He sighed, carefully situating himself in his former position. He wanted to get up and go bug Heather, but he just couldn't. Watching her laying on him like she was made him suddenly feel weak. Her face was so at ease, not a crease of anger or sadness visible, her body lacking its usual tenseness, and her touch wasn't full of desperation. It was all so serene. Looking at her now he wouldn't think such a girl could ever be so vengeful or full of strife. Really he didn't see how anyone would want to hurt her either. Sure she had issues, more so then a lot of people, but that was no reason to take hold of her heart and squeeze it to the point it busted and bled all over herself and those around her. "You're something…" he murmured, looking over her figure down to her pocket. The pocket that skull was in. He frowned lightly at the memory last night of her clutching it to her chest as if it was her only hope of life, the last thing to hold on to in the hell her life had become. So why did that make him want to snatch it away from her? He didn't want to hurt her or see her lose her last shred of sanity. So why? Perhaps it was because he himself wished to be that hope. That one thing she would never let go of and cherish deeply. He wanted to matter in the eyes of this bitterly confused adolescence. So he reached for it.

As he reached down for it ever so slowly, digging in the rather deep pocket of her shorts, Courtney began to open her eyes, a groan making its way into the air. "Hmm…Duncan?" she muttered sleepily, vision coming into focus. It was then that she let out a high pitched yelp, one joined by Alejandro, shortly followed by a spaz attack. "W-What the hell!" she had jumped up so suddenly that she wobbled on the edge of the bed before falling backwards onto the floor.

Alejandro jerked his hand away from her the instant he heard her speak, aiding in her fall. Without him bracing her she had nothing to hold on to. "Courtney!" he cried, reaching out for her as if he could turn back time and catch her before she hit. "Are you ok?"

She growled irritably. "Do I **look** ok to you?" she spat, picking herself up so that she was sitting. "Idiot." she whispered under her breath.

He scowled over at her now, hearing the word she had intended him not to. "I'm not the one who did a back flip off the bed, sweetheart." he crossed his arms over his chest, raising a brow.

She snarled. "Well I wouldn't have if **you** hadn't been all up on me! What do you think you were doing?" her fists shook as she clenched them.

He sighed, rolling his eyes at her childish behavior. Sure she probably forgot that they'd stayed with each other until they slipped into sleep but that gave her no right to scream at him. "Me? What about you?" he pointed a finger at her accusingly. "You had your arms all over me!" surprisingly he was not enjoying this stupid squabble. If it had been Heather he knew he would be. So why not now that it was a different face before his emerald green eyes?

She drew back, face appearing as if she had just seen a ghost. "I…I was **not**!" she screamed, fighting to hide a blush that had found its way to the surface of her pretty little face.

She was flustered. Now this he liked. "Uh-huh. And God knows what else happened last night." he teased cruelly, knowing fully well her weakness when it came to doing things that could ruin her image. "If I remember right…" he trailed off, letting her fill in the blank as he tapped his chin, grinning devilishly down into her now frightened onyx eyes.

"No." she said weakly. "No." she repeated, trying to convince herself it wasn't so. If it was true she would never forgive herself. Even if they hadn't gone all the way it was still a one night stand in her mind. She'd been looking for a soft place to fall and just took the only thing close enough to her.

He laughed amusedly. "I don't know." he shrugged, hopping off the bed to tower over her. "I don't remember much other then us planning."

She stared intently at him, making sure to not miss any sign of deception. As far as she could see there was none. So she let out a heavy sigh. "Good." she paused, frowning. "I think…"

He bent down, offering her his hand. This act never got old to him. He'd done it many times since just yesterday and still liked the feeling he gathered from it. "Yes. It is good." he waited for her to place her hand in his before going on. "Now amor, let's go set a trap." he snickered, smirking at her.

She had hesitated in giving him what he wanted, her hand, but once she did it felt so good. It was a mini rush of emotions. She felt so at peace as his warmth flowed into her. It was the same as she felt every time she'd been with Duncan. She cringed then, hating his memory. So when she was brought up close to stand in front of Alejandro, face inches from his, she was elated as the feeling of joy heightened. She swallowed hard, looking anywhere but into his dazzling eyes. She knew that if she were to look to far that she might very well fall into them and in turn become entangled in his sinister hold. She was pretty close without that. So she really didn't need an extra push. "Mmm hmm…" she muttered dreamily, barely there.

He chuckled lightly at her sudden out of it state of mind. She amused him greatly. She was so amusing at times that he almost thought she could take Heather's place in this category. "Use your legs." he reminded her.

She snapped out of her daze, blinking a couple of time before glowering at him and yanking her hand away. "Don't touch me." she grumbled, rubbing her hand as if to wipe away his touch.

He rolled his eyes, walking alongside her out the door and toward the cabin they knew Gwen and Duncan shared. He was quite looking forward to seeing Duncan be messed with, especially when it would also help him gauge Courtney's ever increasing desire to brutalize him.

She kept her glare on her face until she was sure he was busy looking somewhere else. Only then did she allow her false mask of hate fade to that which she really felt, infatuation. She even brought the hand which he had touched up to her cheek, rubbing her hand gently against it. She wished he would take hold of her again like last night and she wished that this time she might remember it clearly as well as not react as poorly as she did this time.

"Courtney." he half snapped. "Here." he handed the bucket full of all sorts of crap, grinning menacingly at her. "Put it there." he pointed above the door.

She nodded with confidence. "But I'll need a boost." she smiled sheepishly, taking the bucket from him. "And the rope." she added, holding her other hand out expectantly.

He placed it in her hand, bending down, hands cupped together as a foot stool for the princess Courtney. "Go on."

She eagerly put one foot in his hands, using her hand with the rope to stabilize herself by taking a firm hold on his head. "Good…good." she murmured to herself, wobbling a bit.

He was careful as he lifted her up higher and higher. He didn't want to drop her and have her bitch at him. What he wanted was for her to be pleased by his assistance. "Of course it's good." he beamed, reaching as far up as he could considering her weight.

She placed the bucket, full of things Alejandro had stuck in there late at night when she had been well enough to allow him to leave, up on the edge of the roof. It shook like she did, unstable in this precarious position. Courtney swallowed hard. She was just afraid that it would fall to soon and maybe even drench her in disgusting crap. Then she'd really be boiling. And next came the hard part. She was forced to remove her grip on Alejandro's head in order to tie the rope around the handle of the bucket. It took her a couple of minutes to do it right but she eventually got it, sighing with relief. "Ok! I'm done." as she spoke she quickly took a hold on his head again, fearing falling.

Alejandro slowly brought her back to ground level, sighing deeply once she was safe and the bucket hadn't been brought down with her. "Now it's my turn." he took a piece of thin, nearly invisible, string he'd been holding to tie as a trip rope, eyes never leaving the bucket which rested on the brink of the roof so that if something were to screw up he might be able to push Courtney out of the way of it. It was because of this that it took him much longer to tie the knot tautly around each side of the railing. He nearly jumped a moment after as the bucket teetered, but once it was still yet again his tenseness faded. "Ok. I've got it." he smirked, eyes appearing soft towards her.

Courtney jumped with joy. "Yes!" as she cheered there was a sound near the cabin door. It was the sound of two people scrambling around in what seemed like a playful way and it hurt Courtney greatly. Laughter followed shortly after, causing her heart to clench further. She whined lightly, frozen, only able to listen to their sweet talk.

Alejandro noticed, stricken with a pain, only no where near as great as hers. It was still pain though. As such he felt he had to pull her away from this to prepare her for their exit. "Come on." he hissed, gently taking hold of her arms and moving her back behind the edge of the cabin. The rope she had was just long enough too.

She snapped out of it once they'd moved, back in serious revenge mode. "Thanks." she whispered, eyeing the door carefully. "This is it."

The door opened for them about fifteen minutes later, Gwen and Duncan still laughing at something that had been said. "Haha, you're hilarious." she rolled her eyes, poking him in the side sweetly.

He chuckled, opening his mouth to say something when he took the last step down and, instead of finding his footing on grass, fell flat on his face. He cried out quietly, doing a face plow as a result of him failing to react to the fall fast enough. He groaned lightly as he lifted his head up some.

"Oh my God!" Gwen cried. "Duncan! Are you alright?" she exclaimed, jumping down to his side to help him up.

He spit and spluttered, a mixture of grass and dirt coming out of his mouth. "Yeah, fine." he growled, wiping at his mouth to remove any excess matter. "I just…tripped."

Courtney snickered under her breath, pressing a hand to her lips to contain the immense joy she was gathering from this. Now all that was left was pretty little Gwen. "Hehehe." Courtney's eyes gleamed with pure malice as she stared her target down, rope clenched tightly in her small hand.

"Do it." Alejandro prompted, placing a hand on her shoulder and gave her a grin equivalent in vice to hers.

Gwen giggled lightly. "You're so clumsy. Sometimes I wonder-" she stopped dead sentence, thoughts being derailed as a clank noise reached her ears. She looked up just in time to see the bucket tip over, spewing sewage, old moldy food, dirt, and grime all over her. Her high pitched scream filled the air an instant after, breaking the silence and leaving a chilling feeling lingering. At least for all albeit Courtney and Alejandro.

Courtney held her laughter in until they ran to the back of the cabin and then cracked up. She fell on the ground, in hysterias. She was so amused by the sight of those two looking like fools that she was practically crying from happiness. It was almost to much to take in, but she did so anyway. She replayed in her head every detail. The look of surprise on Duncan's face as he first made his misstep, the way his wide smile instantly transformed into a sharp frown, how he started to think of reaching his arms out to brace himself yet failed miserably, the way his head made contact with the hard ground, a snapping sound following the impact, and the look of immense hate that found its way onto his face after. It was all so great. The disgusting grass and ground mixture that became lodged in his mouth was a bonus too. Nothing could beat it. Well, nothing except Gwen's reaction. The only other time Courtney had seen her so unnerved and falling apart was when it was something serious which she could not rightly laugh at. But now she felt no sin in it. "T-That was **great**!" Courtney cried in a muffled tone so as not to let the infamous couple hear her. "God! I-I never imagined seeing them like that could feel so good!"

Alejandro was cackling beside her. It wasn't that he personally had anything against either of them, he was just the kind of person that enjoyed seeing someone fall like they had. He was a bad guy. "See? I told you mi amor." his smile widened, and he held up his hand for a high five, but the words that passed his lips made him wonder. Why did he always call her that? One might think of it as a pet name. But no. She was not his pet. She was barely more then an acquaintance. So what was with his Spanish tongue?

She beamed, laughter still spilling forth from her lungs as she gave him the high five.

Alejandro picked himself up from the ground where he knelt beside her. He may have liked doing these antics with someone as vigorous as Courtney but it didn't change the fact he preferred not to get dirty for no good, competitive, reason

She too rose after him, feeling able enough despite her continuous laughter. That and she wanted to give him something. Thanks!" she cried between her slowly fading laughs, smiling sheepishly up at his flawless face. "It was fun."

He nodded. "I know. It always is." he smirked, mind wandering from the girl before him to the other girl he had chased after for so long. She was probably on edge wondering what else might pop out and get her. He chuckled lightly at the thought.

"Really though." she murmured, moving her foot in circles in the dirt. "I'm glad…" she trailed off, losing the thought in her action. She threw herself at Alejandro, wrapping her thin arms around his neck and tucked her face into the crook of his neck. He smelled so weird to her, so unlike Duncan's constant smell of smoke and sweat. But it took her only a moment to find she liked his smell so much more. Whether this was simply because she was unimaginably pissed by Duncan's cheating or because she truly believed his scent to be more appealing was questionable. "You're better then they say you are."

Alejandro snorted lightly, breathing in her sweet scent as well. However he was rather bored of her random spurs of neediness. Sure it was nice to feel like he mattered, but somehow he felt more when it was a one sided 'relationship' or, more specifically, when it was Heather pretending she didn't care. Courtney never denied that she was into him. It wasn't like he asked, but it was supposed to be an unspoken thing. If he flirted or assisted a girl she would act awkward before bitching at him. Thus Heather's appeal.

She pulled back after a minute or so, smiling warmly up at him. "Come on!" she suddenly perked, getting the evil aspect back to her personality. "Let's go see what they're doing now! I think I can hear Gwen **wailing**!" she cried animatedly, clamping her hands together as her eyes grew wider with each word.

He was interested again, relishing in the moments she wasn't weak and helpless. "As you wish."

"Yes!" she jumped ahead of him, racing back to the front of the cabin where it had all started. Yet all the while, even as entertaining Duncan and Gwen were being for her, the only thing that she could think of was Alejandro. Him and his perfect face…perfect chest…perfect eyes…perfect…everything. And she never wanted this strange connection they had formed in a day to ever fade.

**Yeah, yeah, yeah...the revenge was really gay but I couldn't think of anything mean yet not huge to start it off. x.x It's better next chapter imo. And I know this is severely lacking in dxc stuff, as the category says it's supposed to be, but it'll get there. Eventually some dxc stuff with happen. Patience is key my friends. Review plz! :D**


End file.
